One Day, One Job » outdoors

Institute for Environmental Awareness

Willy Franzen — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:13:10 +0000

I don’t know about where you are, but here in Chicago it’s pretty clear that spring is on its way. We’re going to break 50 degrees this week, and the geese are already back and looking for places to nest. I may be in a huge city, but I’m not completely out of touch with nature. However, I’ve always wanted to spend more time closer to nature. The Institute for Environmental Awareness is a Massachusetts based organization that offers that kind of experience. Their mission is “to promote and support programs and services that encourage living and learning in harmony with the Earth and all Life,” and they do this through a number of earth-based, outdoor education programs. You may have noticed that I couldn’t find a suitable logo for them. That’s because their website looks like it’s from the mid 90s, and I wasn’t going to subject you to yellow text with a black drop shadow over a photo of a tree. An ugly website may be a bad indicator for a marketing firm or a web startup, but not for a nature based organization.

Be Environmentally Aware

The Institute for Environmental Awareness runs three programs: Earthlands (“operates an off-grid program and retreat center”), the Earthlands Land Trust, and University of the Wild (“earth-based education programs that empower people to become leaders in growing new and sustainable cultures”). There’s not much more information about the Institute on their website; however, their job descriptions tell you a lot about what they do. Right now they’re looking for two Program Center Coordinator/Caretakers for Earthlands. These people will work on Program Coordination, Facilities Maintenance, Educational Program Assistance, and Community Involvement. They’ll also live on-site and receive a $500/month stipend for the 6 months that the position lasts. You’ll be able to live in harmony with nature and get away from it all. It sounds like a once in a lifetime opportunity, so if you’re interested, reach out to Michael Iacona, Earthlands Office Manager, at office@earthlands.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Can you tell that spring is coming?

Appalachian Mountain Club

Willy Franzen — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:17:54 +0000

I don’t know if you’ve ever spent anytime on the Appalachian Trail, but if you haven’t, you should. The trail stretches from Georgia to Maine, while the range of mountains touches as far south as Alabama and as far north as Newfoundland. It’s 1,500 miles of natural beauty that is prime territory for naturalists and adventurers. Back in 1876 there was a club called the Appalachian Mountain Club started in Boston for people who enjoyed the range. Now the club consists of more than 12 chapters and 100,000 members—it’s the “nation’s oldest outdoor recreation and conservation organization.” They’re still based in Boston, and they’ve developed into a non-profit that promotes “the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the mountains, forests, waters, and trails of the Appalachian region.”

Outdoor Enthusiasts Wanted

The work that the Appalachian Mountain Club varies greatly. They fight for conservation, educate people on safe outdoors practices, maintain trails, and put on more than 8,000 trips a year. It’s a great organization that spans many different interest groups—it’s not just the hikers or the birdwatchers or the fisherman. It’s for everybody who loves being outdoors in the Appalachians. The scope of their work is really impressive, and if you want to be a part of it, you should check out the AMC’s Jobs page. Full-time opportunities include Web Production Associate and Senior Online Marketing Associate (it’s pretty entry level if you have a background in online marketing), which are both based in Boston, along with Hospitality Coordinator in Bretton Woods, NH and Storehouse Supervisor in Gorham, NH. There are also seasonal opportunities in Trail Crew type positions in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New Jersey. The application instructions vary by position, so look at the specific postings for details.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you spent any time in the Appalachians?

Sportsman Channel

Willy Franzen — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:54:49 +0000

Check out this week’s sponsor, New York City Teaching Fellows. They’re seeking new grads with no prior teaching experience or background in education to help make a difference in NYC’s public schools.

Much to my girlfriend’s chagrin, I love watching fishing shows. I’d rather be out on the water, but when I’m trapped on the 30th floor in the middle of downtown Chicago and it’s -15 outside, there aren’t many other options. Unfortunately, ESPN has cut back on their fishing programming, and that doesn’t leave me with any other options on my cable package. If only we got Sportsman Channel, then I’d be much happier. They are “the only television network providing 100 percent hunting, shooting and fishing programming.” Unlike some other outdoor focused networks, they’re staying true to what they are instead of watering down their programming in hopes of better ratings. I haven’t had a chance to watch any of their programming, but I’m sure I’d like it. Sportsman Channel is based in New Berlin, WI, and they also have locations in New York, Denver, and Atlanta.

Tune In and Get Hooked

Sportsman Channel was launched in 2003, and they appear to be growing (they were purchased by a private equity firm that focuses on outdoor media in 2006). They have a huge market considering there are 82 million sportsmen in the United States, so you have to like their ability to grow a business based on targeted advertising. If you love the outdoors and want to work in tv or media, then it’d be hard to find a better place to work than Sportsman Channel. Their location in Wisconsin is prime for the outdoors lifestyle, and I’m sure that they promote such a lifestyle for their employees too. If you’re interested, you can check out Sportsman Channel’s Jobs page, although it doesn’t include any postings—just a Résumé Submission form. The company seems pretty small, so using LinkedIn to reach out to some people might be a worthwhile strategy.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you like to watch fishing shows?

California Conservation Corps

Willy Franzen — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:41:49 +0000

After my Freshman year of college, I decided that I wanted a summer job that would allow me to work outside. I ended up doing maintenance at a fish and game club. It was like a great experience—even if I only worked 20 hours per week. If you want to work outside and are looking for something a little more intense than 20 hours per week, then you need to check out the California Conservation Corps. It’s a government run program that “matches up California’s young people and its natural resources.” Every year the CCC hires 3,300 corpsmembers and pays them minimum wage to take on projects like working on backcountry trails, aiding salmon restoration, promoting watershed stewardship, and providing emergency response services. The CCC has been around since 1976, and since then they’ve employed more than 100,000 young men and women with 98% saying that they “would recommend the CCC to a family member or friend.”

Get Paid to Enjoy the Outdoors

The California Conservation Corps provides a wide range of work opportunities for people between the ages of 18 and 25. These aren’t permanent entry level jobs, but they’re a great internship alternative or a great way to get some real work experience after you graduate. The CCC has a great website that is filled with all kinds of information about their programs. You can see what a day in the life is like or read over their FAQ. There are work locations with the Corps all across California, and there is also a wide variety of project types. The CCC site gets a bit confusing when you start looking for employment opportunities, but you can find Staff Openings here and Corpmembers opportunities here. Additionally, it looks like some of the CCC programs do their own hiring, so, for instance, you can find information on applying to the Backcountry program here.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Had you heard of the California Convervation Corps before?

Deckers Outdoor Corporation

Willy Franzen — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:55:06 +0000

At some point during my Junior year in college (by the way I’m back at Cornell for the weekend), I got the bright idea that I could wear slippers as shoes. These weren’t flimsy slippers, these were sturdy leather ones with shearling lining. They were made by Orvis (where I interned and had an awesome 50% employee discount), and they were great. I loved sitting in class knowing that my feet were more comfortable than everybody else’s. Then I came back from Thanksgiving break. I was admiring the Christmas lights that my roommates had adorned our otherwise aesthetically unpleasing house with, and I slipped. See, my slippers had flat rubber soles. My feet came out from under me as I fell down a muddy slope. My right hand came down hard on the sidewalk, and I had a broken wrist. I gave up wearing slippers for a while, but when my Mom bought me a pair of UGG slippers with proper soles, I reverted. Now UGG slippers are my go to shoes during the winter, and I’m a huge fan of Deckers Outdoor Corporation. They’re the company behind UGG, Simple, Teva (is it Tee-va or Tevv-a?), Tsubo, and Deckers, and they’re headquartered in Goleta, CA with a location in Flagstaff, AZ as well.

Hit the Deckers

I had no idea until today that Outside Magazine has a Best Places to Work list. Now I know about it, and I know that Deckers Outdoor Corporation is on the list (ranked 7th). While Deckers’ Careers page doesn’t say much more than generic stuff like “We are looking for energetic, hard working, success oriented individuals to join our dynamic team” and “All candidates must be team players, have high energy, good organization and excellent communication skills,” it’s pretty obvious that Deckers has a unique employment brand that is well aligned with their product brands. If Deckers sounds like the kind of place that you’d want to work, you should check out their current job openings. Their job descriptions don’t have a ton of detail, so it’s hard to tell which jobs are best suited for new and recent college grads. My guess is that your best bet is to take a look at the following positions: Administrative Assistant – UGG, Collections Analyst, Product Coordinator – UGG, and Programmer at their Goleta, CA headquarters and Search Engine (SEO/SEM) Marketing Coordinator and Web Developer at their Flagstaff, AZ location. You can apply for any of these jobs by sending a cover letter and résumé to hr@deckers.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you wear UGGs?

National Parks Conservation Association

Willy Franzen — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 12:05:41 +0000

Having grown up in Connecticut and now living in Illinois, I’ve lived in areas that don’t have too many National Parks. Luckily, I’ve had the chance to see Yellowstone and Grand Teton. They are unbelievable. Our National Parks here in the US are one of the best things that the government has done – they’re a big part of what makes this country so special. Unfortunately, the same government that gave us those parks doesn’t always seem to have their best interest in mind. That’s why National Parks Conservation Association exists. They are a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, DC that is focused on “working on key initiatives to restore America’s national parks by the centennial anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016.” If you’ve never visited a National Park, you should. You can use this locator provided by the National Park Service to find the park closest to you.

These Jobs Are a Walk in the Park

If you love the outdoors as much as I do (or dig historic sites, which many National Parks are), and you want a job that is going to put you to work protecting what you love, then the NPCA may be the place for you. They have a great website that is filled with information about what they’re doing to protect our National Parks. The best way to get a quick introduction to the organization is probably to check out their video, which does a nice job of presenting their story. Put simply, the NPCA is all about making our National Parks’ 100th birthday a real reason to celebrate. 2016 is still far enough away that a lot of meaningful work can be done before then, which is why you should check out jobs with the NPCA. Right now there’s only one job that appears to be suitable or new college grads at the NPCA – Program Coordinator. The job is located in Bozeman, MT, and it looks fantastic. You can apply online, so get at it before 2016 comes around!

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite National Park?

NOAA

Willy Franzen — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:13:00 +0000

Happy Groundhog Day! Unfortunately, it looks like we’re headed for 6 more weeks of winter according to Punxsutawney Phil. That really aggravates me, so I think that I’m done trusting the rodent for my weather prediction. Last year we recommended that you consider working for the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, but this year we want you to actually be able to predict the weather. That’s why we want you to take a look at entry level jobs with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. NOAA is a government agency “that enriches life through science,” which makes them almost the exact opposite of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. NOAA’s responsibilities range from “daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration and supporting marine commerce.” In fact, “NOAA’s products and services support economic vitality and affect more than one-third of America’s gross domestic product.”

From the Bottom of the Sea to the Surface of the Sun

NOAA has a great video that does a nice job of telling their story, so we thought we’d spare you some reading and embed it below. (If you’re reading via e-mail or RSS, you might need to click through to view the video).

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So what about entry level jobs with NOAA? You can find all kinds of information about working at NOAA on their Careers page. Unfortunately their Recruitment Events Calendar hasn’t been updated lately, but you can still check out their Career Fields and What NOAA Has to Offer pages. What you’re really looking for though – NOAA’s Jobs, you can find on USAJobs.gov. Right now they have 63 jobs posted in fields ranging from Computer Science to Fisheries Biology and from Program Specialist to Service Hydrologist. They list jobs by salary grade, which makes identifying entry level opportunities pretty easy. The jobs are located all across the country, so location depends on what’s available. You can apply online directly from the job listings on the USAJobs.gov site, so if you love earth sciences, there are probably some jobs for you. Beyond the USAJobs.gov site, there’s also a Student Opportunities page that links to Fellowships that may interest new grads.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you think Punxsutawney Phil was right?

Thunderhead Alliance for Biking and Walking

Willy Franzen — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:07:39 +0000

Sometimes I can be a dunderhead. When I am behind the wheel of a car, I can get irrationally angry at having to share the road with pedestrians and bikers. And when I’m walking or riding a bike, I can get irrationally angry at having to share the road with cars. I can’t be right on both accounts, so the problem is obviously with me (or maybe with the government for not setting up a better transportation system). When it comes down to it, though, it’s pretty obvious that bikers and pedestrians are second-class citizens to drivers. Cars dominate the roads, and the burden of responsibility falls on those who are biking or walking to stay alert and avoid getting hit by a couple thousand bounds of fast-moving metal. The Thunderhead Alliance for Biking and Walking is a Washington, DC based non-profit advocacy organization that stands up for the rights of bikers and walkers by “strengthening and supporting bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations” across the country. They’re a meta-non-profit. organization – an organization for organizations.

No Dunderheads at Thunderhead Alliance

We try to find unusual non-profits to feature here on the weekends at One Day, One Job, and I think that we’ve succeeded today. Thunderhead Alliance for Biking and Walking is unlike any organization that we’ve ever heard about. They are building a coalition of local organizations to “break down the barriers to safe bicycling and walking,” which I find very cool. If you love biking and/or walking but often feel unsafe while participating, then a job at Thunderhead Alliance might be something worth thinking about. They only have one job opening available right now. It’s for a Grassroots and Trainings Coordinator, and it’s posted on Idealist. They are looking for someone who has experience organizing, but maybe you started your own pedestrian or biker advocacy group in college. You can apply by submitting your resume with a letter of interest to Jeffrey Miller, Alliance President / CEO via email to applications@thunderheadalliance.org by February 9th, 2009.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you enjoy biking and walking?

Patagonia

Willy Franzen — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:46:45 +0000

You have to love it when a small company grows into something big. It’s hard to believe that some of today’s major corporations were started with a couple of people in a garage. What’s even more extraordinary is when a small company that gets big never loses sight of who they are. That’s the story of Patagonia, a company that started out making tools for climbers. They are now a “worldwide business that makes clothes for climbing – as well as for skiing, snowboarding, surfing, fly fishing, paddling and trail running.” You’ve probably heard of Patagonia, and there’s a good chance that you own something made by them, whether it’s a polar fleece, a windbreaker, or long underwear. With a winter like this one, Patagonia gear is especially necessary for avoiding frostbite. Despite advances in technology and amazing business growth, Patagonia continues to take the same approach to their business – their “product design demonstrates a bias for simplicity and utility” and their “values reflect those of a business started by a band of climbers and surfers, and the minimalist style they promoted.” Patagonia makes exceedingly cool products, and they are the definition of a cool place to work.

Take a Trip to Patagonia

Unlike most athletic apparel companies, Patagonia focuses on “the silent sports.” That tells you a lot about who they are. There is a company-wide “love of wild and beautiful places” that “demands participation in the fight to save them.” That’s why Patagonia donates time, services and at least 1% of sales to grassroots environmental organizations all across the world. Patagonia apparel is as much an identity as it is a functional piece of equipment. If you want to learn more about Patgonia’s values, you should check out their page on Corporate Social Responsibility and their Employee Internship Program, which allows employees to “leave their jobs for up to two months to work full-time for the environmental group of their choice” while still getting paid and retaining benefits.

So what about jobs? We wish that Patagonia had some cool entry level field testing or product design jobs, but there’s nothing like that available right now. What they do have are jobs like Graphic Production Artist, Java Developer / Solutions Architect, and X++ Programmer/Analyst at their headquarters in Ventura, CA. You can keep an eye on Patagonia’s Jobs RSS Feed to see if they post your dream job, and you can apply for their corporate jobs by sending a cover letter and resume to venturajobs@patagonia.com. Additionally, Patagonia has Sales Associate positions in San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; Westport, CT; SoHo, NY; Denver, CO; Upper West Side, NY; Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Palo Alto, CA; and Chicago, IL.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Patagonia.com
Jobs at Patagonia
About Patagonia
Patagonia’s History
Field Reports from Patagonia
Patagonia on Corporate Social Responsibility
TheCleanestLine.com (Patagonia’s Blog)

Do you wear Patagonia?

Hammerhead Sleds

Willy Franzen — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:42:39 +0000

Not only is it Friday, but it’s also a Snow Day here in Chicago! Judging from the map on The Weather Channel, there’s a good chance that you’re enjoying a Snow Day too. My favorite thing to do when school was cancelled was to go sledding, and I haven’t outgrown it yet. If downtown Chicago had a single decent hill, I’d be there as soon as I finish writing this. Of course, I’d have to stop and buy a sled first. In college it’s easy – you just “borrow” a tray from the dining hall, and that’s your sled for the winter, but when you’re an adult you need to take things a little more seriously. That’s why Hammerhead Sleds exists. They make sleds for big kids. Actually, that’s an understatement. They make the most bad ass sleds that I have ever seen. These sleds aren’t cheap, though. They run $349, but they sure look worth it.

Send Your Job Search Downhill

Hammerhead Sleds is formerly known as CherryMax sleds, so you might see that name some places on their website, but don’t worry it’s the same company. They’re a very small Vermont based company that started in 2002 and is revitalizing the sport of sledding. There’s a great article about their business in Business People – Vermont, and judging from the kind of media and press attention that Hammerhead Sleds has been getting recently, this company could be getting a lot bigger in the near future. According to both the article we read about them and the Team page on their website, Hammerhead Sleds has fewer than 10 employees. They do, however, have a Careers page that lists job openings (that happen to be about a year old). All of those job opening are in Sales, but there may be the potential for jobs in Marketing, Engineering, or Product Development. It’s up to you find out what’s available (or to sell them on why they need you to join their team). I can’t seem to find details of exactly where Hammerhead Sleds is located, but it’s somewhere in Northern Vermont. If you’re interested in working for them, you can give them a call at 802-425-6300 or you can use their Team page to get e-mail addresses for individuals at the company.

Good luck, enjoy the Snow Day, and if you’re going sledding, use Hammer Head Sleds’ hill database to find a suitable location.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you going sledding today?

The Wilderness Society

Willy Franzen — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:51:04 +0000

For me the wilderness is central to life itself – I can’t be happy without time spent outdoors. That doesn’t mean that I’m not enjoying life in downtown Chicago, but I plan on spending lots of time in the woods and rivers of Wisconsin and Michigan once Spring starts to show its face. My philosophy is shared by the people at The Wilderness Society. Their About page says that “It is our calling and our passion to protect America’s wilderness, not as a relic of our nation’s past, but as a thriving ecological community that is central to life itself.” I couldn’t agree more. They’re a non-profit organization that provides “scientific, economic, legal and policy guidance to land managers, communities, local conservation groups and state and federal decision-makers” to “ensure the best management of our lands – national forests, parks and refuges, as well as public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.” I’ve seen one of my favorite places in the world (a Northern Michigan tract of wilderness and quality fishing areas) put at risk by poor land management policies that would have allowed natural gas drilling in an extremely sensitive area, so I know how firsthand how vital The Wilderness Society’s work is.

Work for the Wilderness

If you feel the same way about the wilderness as I do, then an entry level job with The Wilderness Society might be something worth considering. Their website does a great job of telling their story, so you should be able to get a much clearer picture o who they are and what they about by spending a little time browsing it. They even have a cool section where you can tell them what you’ve been doing to help. I’m not sure what they do with those stories, but it’s nice to see that they’re putting user-generated content to work for them. Their Jobs page lists a couple of opportunities that look like they have potential for new college grads. The most likely jobs are Office Administrator (San Francisco, CA) and Development Operations Coordinator (Washington, DC). To apply for these jobs, visit the specific job descriptions and use the e-mail at the bottom of the posting to send your cover letter and resume.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you enjoy the wilderness as much as I do?

National Wild Turkey Federation

Willy Franzen — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:00:23 +0000

My thoughts about Thanksgiving are still lingering like leftovers in the fridge, so we’re going to look at some more turkey related jobs today. The National Wild Turkey Federation is a “non-profit conservation and education organization with a mission dedicated to conserving wild turkeys and preserving hunting traditions.” They’re not talking about the turkeys that you had for dinner (at least not most of you), these are the ones that you may have seen in your backyard. It wasn’t too long ago that seeing a wild turkey was a rare occurrence, but these days it seems like they’re all over the place. That doesn’t mean that the work of the National Wild Turkey Federation is done, though. In fact, their numbers are expanding faster than those of wild turkeys. Since the Federation was founded in 1973, wild turkey numbers have increased from 1.3 million to more than 7 million, in the same time the Federation has grown from 1,300 members to almost half a million. That’s called success.

Bringing a New Meaning to the Job Hunt

It may seem counterintuitive that hunters are the ones who are trying to save the animals that they hunt, but it makes sense when you think about it. The individuals who utilize a natural resource are also the most likely to want to protect it. I guess that analogy doesn’t work for job hunters though. I’m sure that you’ll be more than happy to take another job off the market, and that’s why you should check out jobs with the National Wild Turkey Federation. Their Jobs page shows a number of available opportunities, and a couple of them seem perfect for entry level candidates. There are seasonal positions in the NWTF’s Warehouse, Frame Shop, and Customer Service departments in Edgefield, SC, but those aren’t what caught our interest. The Regional Director positions in Wisconsin and Oregon are. They look like awesome opportunities for new grads who are ready to take on a lot of responsibility. If you love wild turkeys and want to do everything in your power to conserve the resource, then head over to the NWTF’s Jobs page, read the job descriptions, and apply online.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Any turkey hunters out there?

Orvis

Willy Franzen — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:00:56 +0000

If you consider going fishing after work and being in bed by 10 a night well spent, then working at Orvis will be perfect for you. Ditto if you enjoy helping your co-workers train their dogs on your lunch break. How do I know? I spent the summers after my sophomore and junior years as an intern in the Human Resources Department. Why did I pick Orvis? Because I am a life long fly fisherman and I love their products.

Distinctive Country Living

Orvis has been around since 1856, which apparently makes them the oldest continuously operating catalog company in the country. They have an extremely rich history, which is still a significant factor in the way the company operates today. You should be familiar with this history because it will help you write an impressive cover letter and interview well. The single best resource on Orvis’ history is The Orvis Story, but that costs money, and if you get an internship, then you can use Orvis’ generous 50% employee discount to buy it. So what about web resources on Orvis’ history? There’s this page on the history of Orvis, a timeline of Orvis’ accomplishment, and a very detailed Wikipedia entry on Orvis.

Orvis’ storied history is based on sporting traditions (mostly hunting and fishing), and with that has come their modern focus on distinctive country living. As much as they are known for their fly fishing equipment, Orvis is not just a sporting company; however, their product selection is targeted at people who enjoy the sporting life. Orvis also puts a huge emphasis on environmental conservation, so they are constantly involved with projects that protect the resources, like cold water fisheries, that drive their business.

Drop Them a Line

Orvis doesn’t have an entry-level hiring program by any means, but they are certainly an employer that is friendly to young people (as long as those young people enjoy the outdoors). A few positions that we identified as being well suited for a new college grad are: Web Liquidations Merchandise Specialist, Application Developer / Analyst Merchandising Systems, and Web Developer. It appears that Orvis would prefer candidates with experience for these positions, but there’s no reason that you can’t impress them enough to get hired.

Beyond their regular job listings, Orvis also lists positions at Orvis Endorsed Operations on their Job Openings Page. These aren’t actually Orvis jobs, but they do offer the opportunity to work for an amazing resort at a big name destination. A lot of these jobs are as fishing guides, but a few are in hospitality management as well.

What Vermont Has to Offer

Orvis’ corporate office is in Sunderland, VT on the edge of a 377-acre natural black bear habitat. The office is absolutely beautiful and fits perfectly with both the surroundings and Orvis’ mission. There’s a small gym on-site, hiking trails, a casting pond, and a cafe with great food. With that said, it’s in the middle of nowhere – the Orvis office doesn’t even have a zip code. The Manchester area of Vermont is not the most happening place. Yes, they have outlet shopping, but beyond that it’s all about the outdoors. Restaurants are closed by 9, and gas stations close by 10. So if you’re out fishing after that, you’re not going to find anything to eat except what’s in the refrigerator.

Orvis also has a service center in Roanoke, VA and retail locations across the United States; however, the jobs that best suite new college grads will be mostly located in Vermont. Like I’ve said, Orvis isn’t for the city slickers, but for the right people it’s a dream come true. If you’d like to know more about working at Orvis, feel free to contact me by leaving a comment. I’ll be more than happy to answer any of your questions.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Looking for an internship at Orvis?

Wilderness Inquiry

Willy Franzen — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:13:12 +0000

We’ve had enough of these desk jobs! Spring is here, and we’re itching to get outside to start enjoying the improving weather. I, for one, need to get outdoors often to be happy, and I know that there are plenty of people out there who share the same feeling. In fact, many people find it hard to be their most productive when they’re inside. Unfortunately, career options become a lot more limited (especially in terms of advancement opportunities) when sitting at a desk isn’t involved. Since we love jobs that offer different types of work experiences, today, we’re going to look at a non-profit called Wilderness Inquiry, which, as an employer, is about as good as it gets for our outdoorsy readers.

No Fluorescent Lighting Here

Wilderness Inquiry is about “making high-quality outdoor experiences accessible for everyone, including those who do not typically get out and enjoy the wilderness.” That’s it. We love it when a company or organization can break down what they do in one sentence. The focus of Wilderness Inquiry trips (and they offer over 200 multi-day trips to locations around the world) is typically hiking or canoeing. Many outdoor programs choose to segregate people by their experience or ability, but Wilderness Inquiry thinks that ensuring that all participants have a good attitude is the only requirement for putting together a great trip for everyone. When you look at Wilderness Inquiry’s website, you realize that they are serious about inclusion; in fact, Wilderness Inquiry is especially adept at making the great outdoors more accessible to people with disabilities.

Inquire Within

Whether you are just looking for a job for the summer after your graduate, or you’d like to make a career out of helping to make the outdoors more accessible to all, Wilderness Inquiry has some great job opportunities. Part-time / Temporary jobs include Pack-in Coordinator and Food Coordinator. You can also join the Trail Staff, which appears to be a more permanent position. If you’d like to work in an office, but still get outside often, the Program Director – Youth Training job might be right for you. You’ll definitely need some prior work experience, but it seems like the kind of thing that an exceptional new college grad (who possibly worked as a camp counselor or organized college outdoor programs) can do. There’s also the option of applying for other, unlisted, General Full Time positions. There is an online application that appears to be the same for all of the positions, so go ahead and fill it out if you don’t want to be cooped up in your first job after college.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you been on a Wilderness Inquiry trip? Tell us about it in the comments.